Lead Me Through The Dark
by catsaretriangles
Summary: Glimmer x Adora AU/Glimmer is terrified of horses after a show jumping accident killed her father many years ago. But when her mom signs her up to work at a barn and take riding lessons to help her overcome her fear Glimmer winds up finding more then just a rekindled love for horses.
1. Chapter 1

"Glimmer wake up, its already noon, it's time to get out of bed!"

The pink haired teen sighed as she buried her face in her pillows, ignoring her mom who was pounding on her bedroom door trying to get her out of bed. "Mom, it's summer break, can't I sleep in?" she protested, pulling her blankets over her head as the knocking subsided. She heard her door creak open and within seconds her blankets had been pulled off of her and her mom was standing over top of her.

"You've been sleeping in everyday Glimmer. You've barely even left the house this summer and that all changes today."

Glimmer glared up at her mom who was currently rummaging through her dresser tossing clothes at her to wear. Most people would say she looked like nothing like her mom but all their similarities were in their facial features. Glimmer had her mom's nose, her smile, her eyes but everything else was from her father. Her skin was mildly tanned like his and her hair was naturally brown but she'd taken to dying it a light pink and keeping in a pixie cut where as her mom had fair skin and long blonde hair. Her mom was tall and lean where as Glimmer was short and curvy. Sometimes people asked her if she was adopted and the question always made her blood boil. If they saw her with her dad they wouldn't be asking those questions except for the fact that he wasn't around and hadn't been for years.

She begrudginly sat up in bed as her mom finished tossing a pair of socks at her. "Fine I'll get dressed but can you at least tell me what this plan of yours is?"

Angella shook her head as Glimmer let out an irritated sigh in response. "Just do as I say and get ready. We're leaving in half an hour." she said before exiting her room and leaving her all alone.

It wasn't long before Glimmer was ready to leave and before she knew it she was sitting in the passenger seat of her mom's car watching the clouds roll by as she pestered her mom with incessant questions about where she was going. "Can you please tell me where we're going?" she asked as they exited the city and were now driving out into the countryside. "I can't think of anywhere fun that's out in the country."

"You'll see when we get there." Angella stated, ignoring any further questions from Glimmer on the matter which frustrated the 17 year old greatly.

Eventually they pulled up into a long driveway of what appeared to be a barn and Glimmer cocked her head in confusion as she tried to figure out what they were doing at a barn of all places. "Why are we here? Is there a petting zoo or something? I don't understand."

Her mom shook her head and sighed as she clasped one of Glimmer's hands in her own, the pink haired teen staring up at her mom in confusion as she felt her mom stroking the tips of her fingers in a soothing rhythym. "Glimmer darlling, I know you won't like this but please hear me out." Angella started slowly, brushing a strand of hair behind Glimmer's ear as she smiled at her. "You've been spending all your free time cooped up in the house and I think this will be good for you. This isn't exactly a barn, its a riding stable to be precise. I've arranged for you to come help out here five times a week and in exchange you'll get one or two lessons a week on one of their lesson horses. Its a great environment for you to be around and you could possibly make some new friends here!"

Glimmer's eyes widened as she pulled away, tears in her eyes as she tried to bite back her anger. "Mom, how could you? After what happened to dad?" she yelled, her words burning in her throat as she felt her heart beating a mile a minute in her chest. "You know he was killed by a horse, you of all people should understand why I don't want to be around them!"

"Your father's horse did not kill him, Glimmer. It was a rotational fall, a freak accident."

Glimmer's dad had been killed when she was only five but she still remembered it like it was yesterday. Her dad was an olympic show jumper and had been competing for years, he had four gold medals, one silver medal and a bronze medal to his name and he had won several international championships, he was good at what he did and he had a real connection with his horse. She was a light grey holsteiner mare named Mara and when Glimmer was little her dad used to put her on her back and he would lead her around the arena in circles, every time Glimmer would squeal with joy and beg to go for another round. She had grown up around horses and had loved them back then.

And then the incident happened. Her dad was competing in the olympics once again, that year it had took place in Portugal and her and her mom had been given free tickets to come see him live. She remembered sitting in the stands, her hands glued to the railing in front of her as she screamed with joy, waiting for her dad to ride into the arena at any moment. She still remembered the moment he rode out, Mara trotting gracefully around the arena as she squealed, waving at him from her seat until he noticed her and gave her a quick wave before blowing her a kiss. Then he cued Mara into a canter and their round began.

Their first couple jumps went smoothly, the duo jumping gracefully over each jump like it was nothing and every time Glimmer grew more and more excited. She watched as they were approaching a solid 2.2 metre jump and she pulled on her mom's sleeve as she yelled at her to watch. The jump was huge and Glimmer's eyes were wide as saucers as she watched her dad, waiting for him to clear it like he did every time.

Mara cantered up to the jump and Micah went into two point as the mare's front legs left the ground. And then it happened. Mara's front legs hit the jump and in a blink of an eye her body somersaulted over the jump as she landed on the other side on her back, crushing her father beneath her weight as the mare went limp, the impact killing her on the spot.

Glimmer could only watch in horror as her mom screamed behind her, watching as the paramedics came rushing out onto the field to try and help her father. By the time they got the mare off of him he had already been pronounced dead. After that horses were never the same for her again.

Glimmer couldn't handle even looking at a picture of a horse or being out in the countryside as it reminded her too much of Mara and her dad. She was petrified of being around horses and even though she knew it was an accident she still blamed the mare for her dad's death.

"I don't care if it was a freak accident mom! If dad had never gotten into riding horses he would still be here. You're scared of them too after what happened, why do you have to force me to like them?"

"You used to love horses Glimmer. Your dad could have died from anything, yes riding killed him but we have to take risks in life and he knew the risks going into it. Your dad wouldn't want you to be scared of riding because of what happened to him, he'd want you to keep pushing forward and pursue your love of them once more. If your father knew you were avoiding them because of him he'd be crushed."

Glimmer sniffled as she looked down at the floor of the car, her mom's hand stroking her cheek as she felt her plant a gentle kiss to her forehead. "It's just not fair mom." she whispered.

"I know it's not sweetheart and believe me I miss him too. But he would want you to go out there and enjoy riding like you used to. Can you give it a chance for me? Besides I already met your instructor, she's around your age and I think you two will get along."

Glimmer chuckled as she rolled her eyes. "Please, she's probably some snooty rich girl who owns some expensive horse and acts like she owns the world."

"Now now you haven't even met her, don't be so judgemental." Angella said sternly as the pink haired girl rested her head against the car window. "Just trust me, Glimmer. Would I put you in a situation that's dangerous?"

"Yes." Glimmer muttered under her breath which earned her a gentle whack on the shoulder. "Ugh fine, no you wouldn't purposely put me in harm's way. There are you happy now?"

"Not until you go inside and give this place a try. If you truly hate it after today is over I won't make you go back, do we have a deal?"

The young girl smiled as she nodded her head. "Deal." she replied although she'd already convinced herself that she wouldn't be going back after the day was done.

Angella smiled as she got out of the car, motioning for Glimmer to do the same as she led her into the barn. They stepped inside the door and Glimmer immediately recognized the scent of hay and manure, some smells you just couldn't forget no matter how long it's been. She followed her mom down the aisle full of stalls with horses poking their heads out at her and whinnying at her. Glimmer couldn't help the gnawing pit of dread in her stomach but she tried to push it down as she kept forcing herself to move forwards.

"Hmmm I don't see her out here, perhaps she's in the arena." Angella muttered as she continued walking down the aisle. Eventually they reached an opening that led to a closed off arena where a girl was cantering around on her horse.

The horse was a buckskin gelding and the girl was riding him over jumps that were easily over 1 metre high. The gelding tossed his head as she slowed him down into a trot and the girl patted his neck as he whinnied at her.

"Excuse me, you're Adora right?" Angella called out as the girl looked over at her from across the arena.

She halted the gelding and hopped off, pulling the reins off of his head as she led him towards the arena door, taking her helmet off to reveal a blonde ponytail that bobbed behind her as she walked. "That's me! You're Angella right?"

"Yes and this is Glimmer."

The blonde smiled at the pink haired teen as she stuck a hand out. "Hey nice to meet you, I'm Adora. I'll be in charge of you while you're helping out here and teaching you how to ride."

Glimmer felt her cheeks flush slightly as she stared at the other girl's toned arms as she hesitantly grabbed her hand. "Nice to meet you too."

"This is my horse Swift Wind but I call him Swiftie for short. He's a 5 year old off the track thoroughbred gelding. Want to pet him? I promise he won't bite."

Glimmer shook her head as she watched the buckskin horse with fear in her eyes as he snorted at her. "No thanks, I'm kind of scared of horses."

Within seconds Adora had grabbed her hand and was gently leading it to his forehead, gently placing both of their hands down on the smooth surface as she smiled at the other girl. "Here, just gently rub your hand up and down, I promise he's one of the friendliest horses here."

Glimmer sighed as she shut her eyes, hesitantly rubbing her hand up and down before she heard a soft nicker in response. "I can't remember if that's a happy sound or a bad sound." she admitted, looking up into the horse's eyes as she tried to relax her trembling body.

Adora laughed as she patted the other girl on the back. "Nickering is a happy sound. He's a good boy, he just loves to be petted. Your mom warned me about your fear, don't worry you're safe here. All our horses are extremely friendly."

Angella smiled at them as she pulled Glimmer off to the side. "I'm going to head home now, I'll see you later alright?"

Glimmer nodded as she felt her mom wrap her arms around her. "Alright." she replied quietly, hugging her back tightly before letting go. She watched her mom walk off before she felt a tap on her shoulder and when she turned around she was greeted by the sight of Adora handing her a large manure fork.

"Here you go, your first task of the day is you're going to muck out some stalls!"

The young girl cocked an eyebrow at her as she hesitantly grabbed it from her hand. "And how exactly do I do that?"

Adora laughed at her as she gestured for her to follow her. "Don't worry Glimmer, I'm going to teach you everything."

/

**Author's note: Hey I hope you guys liked this so far. I had an idea for this as a oneshot but it would have been crazy long so instead I'm starting it as a story (Not that I have the time when combined with all my sailor moon stories on the go but oh well) so hopefully you'll like it. I ride in real life so all information is from there. Also I am basing Swift Wind off of what he looked like before Adora transformed him. He looks like a buckskin so thats what I went with for his colouring. I know the first chapter is a bit boring but I hope you like it, the next chapters will be more interesting. Thanks for reading and have a great day!**


	2. Chapter 2

Glimmer groaned as she paused to wipe the sweat off her forehead, resting her arm against the wall as she stared at the stall floor. Adora had instructed her to clean ten stalls and she had just finished mucking out the ninth one which meant there was one more left to do. She hadn't imagined it would be as physically exhausting it was but she'd underestimated just how heavy straw and manure could be.

She begrudgingly walked over to the final stall, lugging the manure bucket behind her as she rolled her eyes. She couldn't help but be mad at her mom for signing her up for something like this without even talking to her about it first. She knew her mom just wanted to see her happy and to see her overcome her fear but she didn't know if she could overcome it. She'd seen multiple counselors and therapists over the years and even though her fear wasn't as intense as it was when she was little it was still there.

When she was little she used to have nightmares every night about horses and even seeing one on the tv screen or seeing one on a book cover would send her into a panic attack. Now she had somewhat more control of her anxiety but she'd be lying if she said that being in a barn full of horses wasn't ramping up her anxiety to a certain extent.

She was halfway done the last stall when she felt a hand make it's way to her shoulder and when she peered around she was greeted by Adora's smile and friendly blue eyes.

"Hey Glimmer, I see you're almost done mucking out the stalls, great job!"

Glimmer shrugged as she cast her focus back to the stall. "Thanks, I guess." she muttered.

"I'm guessing you're still not too happy about being here are you?" Adora asked, her tone softening as she pulled her hand away.

"What do you think, sherlock?" Glimmer bit back, sarcasm dripping from her voice as she tried not to roll her eyes.

Adora ignored the blatant sarcasm and pressed forward. "Look I get you don't like being around horses but I think you'll like it here. You just need to be in a safe environment with them and maybe then you can learn to trust them again."

"You don't know what I've been through, how can you understand what I'm feeling?" Glimmer snapped, trying not to let herself tear up as her grip on the manure fork tightened, her knuckles growing white as she clenched it as tight as she could in her hands. "I didn't ask to be here and after today hopefully I'll never have to come back. Just please tell me what you want me to do next and let me do what needs to be done so I can go home."

Adora's shoulders sank as she sighed. "Fine, after this you can fill the water in all of the stalls and that will be all for today. I already did most of the chores this morning." she said quietly as she began walking off down the aisle before pausing and turning around. "I'm sorry Glimmer, I thought you might enjoy it here but it was nice to meet you." she said, a small half smile on her face before she turned around and walked out of sight.

Glimmer felt a pang of regret in her chest as she watched her walk off. She heard a soft whinny from the next stall over and when she peered her head around a corner she saw a chestnut mare leaning her head out and watching her. Glimmer found herself smiling and before she knew it she had wandered over to her and before fear could set in she found herself gently stroking her forehead.

Then the fear set in and she pulled away, grabbing the manure fork once more as she set forth to finish cleaning the stall and get started on her last task so she could get the hell out and go home.

/

When Angella picked her up she was full of questions for her daughter, asking her how the day went and what kind of stuff she did and if she had fun. Glimmer tried her hardest to ignore her questions as she rested her head against the window, shutting her eyes until her mom eventually gave up on asking her questions.

When they arrived home she found that her mom had prepared a big pancake supper for the two of them and the pink haired teen's face immediately lit up.

"Wow mom this all looks amazing!" she exclaimed, taking a seat at the end of the table as her mom sat down next to her.

"I wanted to make you a special supper since you actually made a huge step today by being around horses again. I'm proud of you."

Glimmer's face fell as she stared at the pancakes in front of her. "I didn't choose to be around them, you signed me up for it without my knowledge and practically forced me to go."

"I did not force you to do anything Glimmer. I did not drag you out of the car, we came to an agreement and you chose to go in there. I didn't make you do anything."

"Well you didn't give me the option to say no!" Glimmer protested, her face growing red as she suddenly lost interest in eating anything.

"I am your mother and you are still a minor! Can't you just trust that I have your best interest at heart?" Angella shouted as she stood up from the table, slamming her fists down as the table rattled.

"If you had my best interest at heart you wouldn't force me to try and face my biggest fear when I'm not ready! You said I don't have to go back if I hate it and guess what? I didn't like it and I'm not going back." Glimmer shot back before rushing off to her room.

"Glimmer come back here right now!"

The teen ignored her mother as she slammed her door behind her, sinking to the floor as she leaned back against her door, tears streaming down her face as her brain replayed the memory of her dad's fatal fall once more. She buried her head in her knees as she sobbed.

Part of her knew it was stupid to blame Mara for her dad's death, she was just a horse and she hadn't purposely killed him. She hadn't attacked him or tried to sabotage him, her legs got caught with the jump and she fell, the poor mare lost her life too. But in Glimmer's mind it was easier to blame Mara since at least then in her mind she could tell herself that there was a reason behind her dad's death and he didn't die for no reason.

Her eyes drifted around her room until they settled on a box in her closet she hadn't looked at in years. She slowly got up off her floor and walked over to her closet, sitting down on the floor as she pulled it out. The black box was covered with a thin layer of dust which she gently brushed off before carefully removing the lid.

On top was a small paper bag that contained a small chunk of Mara's mane that the vet had cut off as a memento when she died. Glimmer had never actually looked at it even though it was unsealed. She put it down on the floor and pulled out the first gold metal that was sitting in the box. All her dad's metals were kept in this box, this was the first gold metal he'd ever won at the olympics. Her mom told her he'd been competing in Brazil and that'd he beaten all the other competitors by a long shot.

The gold metal still shone and shimmered and she held it close to her chest before setting it down on the floor. Carefully sorting through every medal as she examined each one closely.

Then at the bottom of the box were the two final items it held. One was a photograph of her dad and Mara at their last international competition before the accident. It had been an action shot, taken as he was clearing a 1.8 metre jump and the look on his face was one of pure joy. He was smiling away and you could see the power Mara had as her front legs were coming down from the jump. She always cleared the biggest jumps with no issues which always made Glimmer wonder why she messed up on that one important jump.

And then the last photograph. It was one of her on Mara while her dad held the reins in his hand. Glimmer had a goofy grin on her face as she held her arms high up in the air, her dad was busting a gut laughing and Mara had her head held high with her mouth wide open as if she'd just let out a loud whinny.

Glimmer couldn't stop the tears from coming as she clutched the photo to her chest. She knew deep down that Mara was a good mare. She'd been a great competitor for her dad and was always full of fire and sass when it came to him but whenever Glimmer was on her back she was calm and gentle and was the kindest and safest mare ever. She had always taken such good care of her and back then Glimmer had trusted her more then anyone, she'd seen Mara as her best friend.

She still had one memory of her fifth birthday when her parents had taken her to see Mara. Her dad had let her hop on his back and he had walked away for a minute to tend to something in the barn and he had instructed Glimmer not to move at all and to keep Mara halted until they came back. The second she was alone Glimmer's mischievousness got the better of her as she started squeezing Mara with her legs, yelling "Faster faster" until the mare started trotting.

Glimmer had never even ridden the mare by herself before and when she started trotting she immediately grabbed onto her neck for support but instead of being scared she laughed and squealed with joy the whole time, squeezing her even harder in an attempt to make her canter.

Somehow she managed to stay on and when her dad came back and found the sight before him he'd panicked and rushed into the arena to stop the mare. And that was the last time Glimmer had been allowed to be around Mara without any supervision.

Glimmer found herself lost in her thoughts when the sound of her door opening shook her out of them. She turned around to see her mom walking in, the anger on her face dissipated as she approached her.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you mom." Glimmer said quietly as she looked back at the photo in her hand. "I overreacted."

"I'm sorry I forced you into doing something you were scared of without asking your opinion on the matter first. I won't force you to go back if you don't want to."

The pink haired teen shook her head. "No I want to go back and give it a try. But if I don't wind up liking it can I still drop out?"

Angella nodded, smiling at her daughter as she pulled her into her arms. "Of course."

Glimmer smiled as leaned against her mom's shoulders, the tears still falling as she felt her mom's hand caressing her hair. "Thanks mom. I love you."

"I love you too Glimmer."

/

The next day came and before Glimmer knew it they were heading back towards the barn. Her mom dropped her off and waved her goodbye, leaving Glimmer to go in alone and find Adora and tell her she wasn't giving up.

The barn was relatively empty save for one another girl who was tending to her horse and eventually Glimmer found the blonde outside, carrying a large bale of hay inside.

"Hey Adora!"

The sudden noise startled the blonde, causing her to almost drop the hay as she looked up to see the other girl approaching her. A smile crossed her face as she set the bale of hay down on the barn floor. "Glimmer, you're back!" she exclaimed. "I thought you gave up on this place."

"Yeah I thought so too but I wanted to give it another go." she replied. "I'm sorry if I was a bit harsh on you yesterday."

Adora gave her a warm smile as she patted her on the shoulder and Glimmer couldn't help but admire how pretty she was, the way her blonde hair fell around her shoulders and how her blue eyes sparkled. "Don't worry about it, I forgive you. Now come on lets get you working."


	3. Chapter 3

Glimmer had just finished her list of chores for the day when Adora walked in the barn, a halter dangling from her hand as she smiled at her.

"I was thinking I could give you your first lesson today, do you think you're ready?"

Glimmer's eyes darted around the barn as she twiddled her fingers nervously. One part of her somewhat missed riding while the other part wanted to chicken out and put it off for another day. But in the end she found herself giving in, nodding her head as Adora made her way over to her side. "I guess I'm ready." she said hesitantly as Adora handed the halter over to her.

"Perfect! I don't normally let beginners pick which horse to ride but I'll let you have your pick." the blonde said as she led the other girl down the row of stalls before stopping. "You can pick from any of these five horses. We use them all for our beginners and they're all really safe. You can try them all at some point and see which one you click with."

Glimmer tilted her head as she examined each horse before pointing at a chestnut tobiano paint mare. "I think I'll go with her." she said as the mare tossed her head in response.

"Her name is Lucky, she's an old mare, I think she's around 18 or so? She's really lazy and easy going so I think you'll like her." Adora said as she led Glimmer into her stall, shutting the gate behind them as she showed her how to halter the mare.

Glimmer found herself shaking being so close to the tall animal but found herself relaxing in Adora's prescence as the girl helped her put the halter on over her head and latched it shut. Adora clipped the lead rope on to the bottom part of the halter and handed the rope to Glimmer, opening the stall door as she motioned for her to lead her out.

Glimmer drew a deep breath in as she stepped forward, the mare hesitating at first before slowly exiting her stall, walking slowly beside her as Adora led her to where the cross ties are. She showed her how to attach the cross ties and then left to go grab some brushes.

The pink haired teen gave a weary smile to the mare as she stroked her neck gently. She still felt uneasy but the mare's prescense was somewhat soothing in a way. She wasn't pawing at the ground or whinnying like mad or rearing try to get out of the cross ties. She stood still with her head lowered as Glimmer rubbed her neck and occasionally Glimmer would feel her body tremble slightly underneath her fingertips.

It wasn't long before Adora came back, a bucket of grooming supplies in her hand as she set it down next to Glimmer. "Look at you, you're bonding with her already!" she exclaimed.

Glimmer blushed as she drew her hand away. "I wouldn't say we were bonding per say..."

"That's what you say now." Adora replied, a knowing smirk resting on her face. "Now let's teach you how to groom and tack up a horse."

/

An hour later Lucky was groomed and tacked up while Adora rummaged through an old cabinet looking for a pair of riding boots and a helmet that would fit Glimmer.

"Try these!" she called out as she tossed a pair of boots behind her while still rummaging through the helmets.

Glimmer groaned as she tried to put the boots on without losing her grip on Lucky's reins. She took one shoe off as she started trying to pull the boot on and she could feel Lucky's breath on her shoulder as the mare began sniffing her over. Glimmer jerked away and the mare pulled back, the teen almost losing her balance as she was still standing on one foot with the other hoisted high in the air as she pulled the boot up.

She managed to get the other one on and they were a perfect fit. Just as she finished Adora came walking back with an old black helmet in hand.

"This should be the right size!"

Glimmer gave her a smile as she took the helmet from her, putting it on her head as she did up the clasp under her chin. "It fits perfectly."

"Great! Are you ready to ride now?"

Glimmer looked back at the paint mare then back at Adora who was watching her with a patient smile on her face. She looked down at her trembling hands and took a shaky breath in. "I'm ready to give this a shot." she said, her fear fear clear as day in her voice as she tried to calm her nerves.

The blonde gestured for her to follow her as she led her down to the arena. "Don't worry Glimmer. Lucky is old and lazy and I won't make you do anything more then a walk today. If you want to stop at some point then just let me know and we'll stop."

The shorter girl nodded as she glanced over at the chestnut mare walking alongside her, sniffing the ground before letting out a soft snort. "I'll do my best to try and hang in there."

Adora opened the arena door and led her inside and over to the mounting block. "Just walk her up beside this mounting block, you want to get on her from the left side so make sure you have her facing the right way."

Glimmer led the mare up to the mounting block and stopped her once she was close enough. Adora walked up beside her and put the reins over the mare's head for her.

"Now you're going to put your left foot in this stirrup and grab the reins and some mane or the saddle in one hand and pull yourself up and swing your other leg over to the other side. You got it?"

"I think so." Glimmer said, taking a deep breath as she placed her foot in the stirrup. Panic began to set in as she gripped the mare's mane and her reins in her hand and before she had a chance to back out she pulled herself up onto the saddle, swinging her other foot into the right stirrup.

Adora cheered as she raised her hand for a high five. "Good job! Most people have a hard time mounting on their first try but that was perfect."

Glimmer blushed as her hand met Adoras in the high five. "Thank you, I thought I was going to fall." she admitted, laughing as she picked up the reins in her hands.

"Ok so shorten your reins a bit and give her a tiny squeeze with your legs to get her to move forward."

Glimmer adjusted her reins, squeezing her legs against the mare's side as she felt the paint mare begin to walk forwards underneath her. "Wow I'm actually doing it." she whispered to herself, trying to make her nerves go away as Lucky marched forward, her pace slow and steady as Adora instructed her on how to turn her around the corners and asked her to make her walk slightly bigger.

Glimmer had lost count of how long she'd been riding for when she heard a loud bang outside and Lucky jumped to the side, beginning to pick up a trot as Glimmer's anxiety came back full force. "Woah!" she said somewhat too forcefully as she jerked the reins back, trying not to lose her balance as she bounced in her saddle.

The mare slowed down and Glimmer could feel tears in her eyes as Adora rushed over to her side.

"Oh Glimmer I'm sorry! I know you've been scared of riding and then she spooked on you. Are you ok?"

Glimmer hesitated before nodding slightly. "I'm ok but I want to get off now."

"Ok we can cut this lesson short for today." Adora said, leading the young student into the middle of the arena as she helped her dismount. "She doesn't normally spook but I guess something must have fallen outside and scared her."

"No its ok, I get it. Horses are prey animals, they get scared a lot... I think I want to try some of those other beginner horses though. I just want to find one I feel safe with."

Adora nodded as she helped her lead the mare over to the cross ties. "For sure and I'll be there every step of the way to make you feel safe. I'm proud that you didn't fall off when she started trotting. I know you weren't expecting it but you handled the situation well."

Glimmer couldn't help but blush at her words, her cheeks flushing as she looked away. "Thank you, I really appreciate it."

/

Over the course of the next four days Glimmer went to the barn Adora let her try each of the other lesson horses for a shorter period of time at the end of the day but none of them were working for her. One was a little too spooky, one had a larger stride, one had too much attitude and wanted to do things her way and wouldn't listen to Glimmer and the other didn't want to move at all.

Glimmer let out a frustrated sigh as she stared at the black quarter horse gelding in the cross ties. She'd been trying so hard to rekindle her passion but after every ride she just felt more and more disheartened. She knew perhaps she was asking too much to have a perfectly safe lesson horse but more then anything she wanted to feel a connection like she had with Mara.

She collapsed to the floor outside one of the stalls, not caring that there was straw all over the floor, and buried her head in her knees, not bothering to look up when she heard Adora's footsteps approaching her.

"Hey what's wrong?" she heard the blonde ask. She looked over to see her sitting down beside her as she placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you feeling down that you haven't found the right horse yet?"

Normally Glimmer didn't mind talking to Adora, she found her extremely friendly and was really starting to like her but right now she was upset and she found herself biting out a response that was more hurtful then intended. "How do you know what I'm feeling? You're just another rich girl with her fancy show jumping horse. Just leave me alone, I never wanted to be here in the first place."

Hurt flashed in Adora's eyes as she pulled away, brushing off her breeches as she sucked in a deep breath. "I'm just going to head outside for a bit, just please groom him for me and I'll be back to help you put him in his stall."

"Adora wait!"

Adora didn't stop when Glimmer called her name and she felt a pang of regret as she stared at the gelding watching her. She tried to force herself to get up and start brushing him down but her mind kept going back to Adora.

Glimmer didn't have any friends, none whatsoever. There were people at her school who would occasionally say hi to her in the halls but that was it. Her social skills sucked and she had a hard time letting people get close to her so the fact she had started to form a bond with Adora was huge. Now she'd just gone and put a dent in it which after only knowing her for a week was not good.

She couldn't seem to make the guilt go away no matter how hard she tried and she threw the curry comb in the basket and raced outside where she found Adora sitting on a hay bale looking up at the sky. She quietly sat down next to her and noticed there were tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean what I said. I'm just so frustrated and..."

"It's ok, I get it. It's not the fact that you snapped at me that's bothering me, its your words." Adora said quietly. "You don't know me either. I'm not a snobby rich girl like most people think I am. I was an orphan, bounced around in the foster care system for years. I started helping out here for lessons as a child and when I was 14 I got my first job to help pay for them. And Swift Wind wasn't some expensive horse. He'd been retired off the track and nobody wanted to buy him so he got sold to a killpen. He was listed on a rescue website where if someone would pay his fee from the killpen they'd buy him and give him to the buyer. Do you want to know how much he cost? 300 dollars.

"I knew when I saw him that he was meant to be mine so I bought him. I've paid for all his vet bills, his tack, his boarding, everything all by myself with no help. He's run me dry but he's my best friend." she finished, brushing tears off her cheeks as she laughed. "I'm sorry, I basically just spilled my whole life story to you. I don't even know your whole story, all your mom told me is that you're scared of horses."

"My dad... he was an olympic show jumper and when I was 5 I was watching him live at the olympics and he died in a rotational fall." Glimmer said softly as she tried to supress the memory. "For years I blamed the mare for killing him even though I know it was a freak accident."

Within seconds Glimmer felt arms wrapped around her in a hug as she felt Adora's hand running up and down her back. "I'm so sorry Glimmer. Rotational falls are horrible. They mostly happen in cross country but god that's so tragic. No wonder why you're scared."

Glimmer nodded as she rested her head against her shoulder. "Yeah." she sniffled. "I used to love horses but after that I couldn't help but see them in a different light. I want to love them again though, I really do."

Adora pulled away as she rubbed her chin with her thumb before an idea popped into her mind. "You go put Charlie away and wait inside, there's one more horse that I think will be a perfect fit for you."


	4. Chapter 4

Glimmer finished putting Charlie away in his stall as heard the sound of hoof steps slowly walking into the barn. She quickly removed the gelding's halter as she stepped out of his stall, shutting the gate behind her as she turned to look at Adora and the huge horse that was walking alongside her.

Her mouth dropped as she pointed at the tall bay gelding. "THAT'S the horse you wanted to show me? He's huge!"

The gelding was easily 18 hands high with a bay coat and a white blaze down his face along with white stockings on all four legs. He snorted at her as Adora let out a small chuckle. "I know he's extremely tall but just give him a chance. This is Bailey, he's a 10 year old clydesdale thoroughbred cross gelding."

"How am I ever supposed to ride him? I'm already short enough as it is, I can't ride a giant! Besides I thought those fives horses I tried were all your beginner horses?"

"Bailey is and isn't a beginner horse. He's pretty lazy and he's really calm and doesn't spook at all. But because of how tall he is most beginners are scared of him and he has a larger stride when he trots and canters because of his height so it feels like he's moving faster then he is. We just keep him boarded outside most of the time because he doesn't get ridden a lot. I know he's kind of scary looking but I really think you might like him."

Glimmer sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. "I don't know Adora. Maybe horses just aren't for me. I don't know how I feel riding a horse that's double my height."

Adora's smile faded as she ran a hand through the gelding's mane. "It's up to you Glimmer, I won't make you ride him if you don't want to."

Glimmer glanced at Bailey and back at Adora, her mind racing a mile a minute. "Can I just walk him around the arena a bit? Like, not riding but just walking side by side with him?"

The blonde nodded, smiling at her as she handed her the lead rope. "Go ahead, I'll be out here if you need me."

Glimmer took the lead rope for her and began walking towards the arena, watching Bailey out of the corner of her eye as he walked behind her. She opened the gate to the arena and led him in, walking around the corner as he followed suit.

She began slowly walking in laps and let her mind drift to her memories of her father. She wished she could just push past her fear but she kept coming to a screeching halt everytime she got on a horse. She couldn't help but wonder if she was never going to get over her fear and she would just have to give up on horses forever. If she was being honest with herself she still loved horses in her own way, part of her was happy to be around them but the other part of her was scared to death. It felt like her heart and brain were at war. Her brain was telling her to run away because her memories told her that horses meant bad things but her heart was screaming at her to stay.

Even though it had been years since the incident Glimmer could still remember Mara clearly in her mind. The mare had been a good 17 hands high but back then Glimmer hadn't realized just how tall she was. She still remembered what she looked like, her light grey coat that was so light it was almost white. She remembered that shortly before the accident her dad had been planning on breeding her to a well known grand prix show jumping dutch warmblood stallion and Glimmer had begged him to let her keep the baby as her own. Her dad had chuckled at her as he patted her on the head, promising her that once she turned six they would go and pick out a pony for her to buy and she had cheered with joy as she'd jumped into his arms and squeezed the living daylights out of him.

She felt tears prick her eyes as she felt a furry head lightly nudging her arm. She peered over to see Bailey gently rubbing his head against her arm as he trailed behind her. She laughed at him as she stopped and turned to look at him, extending a hand towards him as he sniffed it over before licking it gently. She smiled as found herself resting her head against his neck and closing her eyes, the gelding letting out a long sigh as he remained perfectly still.

It was in that moment that Glimmer knew this was the horse she wanted to ride, she felt a connection to him that she couldn't quite explain, something about him just clicked with her and she felt safe. She pulled away and rubbed him on the forehead.

"You're a good boy." she said softly as she began leading him back to the arena door.

She led him back into the main barn area where Adora had Swift Wind tied in the cross ties as she tacked him up, the buckskin pawing at the ground as he whinnied. Adora looked up at the pair who had just entered and a knowing smile crossed her face. "You look happy."

"I think I want to try and ride Bailey. I don't know why but I just really like him."

"I knew you'd like him." Adora replied. "Tomorrow I'll give you your first lesson on him."

The fear lurking inside Glimmer was definitely still there but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't excited.

/

Glimmer woke up early the next morning, a feeling of excitment bubbling inside her as she rushed to the kitchen to grab breakfast along with an apple she shoved in her pocket for Bailey.

Angella walked into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she let out a yawn. It took her a moment to realize her daughter was already up and about. "Good morning Glimmer, you're up early. We don't have to leave for another hour, I thought you'd still be asleep."

Glimmer laughed as she shook her head. "I thought so too but I'm actually kind of excited for today, I woke up early and couldn't fall back asleep so here I am!"

The older lady smiled at her daughter as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "I'm glad to see you so happy, is there any particular reason behind this sudden cheery attidude of yours?"

"Well I think I might have found a horse I clicked with... but I haven't ridden him yet so I don't know for sure."

"Glimmer that's so exciting, I'm so happy for you!" Angella exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around her daughter from behind in a tight embrace. "What is he like?"

"Well he's a bay clydesdale thoroughbred cross... He's huge mom, he's like 18 hands high. When Adora introduced me to him I was scared of him but I spent some time with him and realized he's super gentle and kind of lazy."

Her mom smiled as she sat down next to her. "He sounds like a wonderful horse. Drafts are such gentle giants. Did I ever tell you the first horse I ever rode was a draft cross? I used to be terrified until your dad convinced me to give that one a try."

"Mom you never told me you were once scared of horses! I just assumed you always loved them like dad did."

"I used to be scared of them, I thought I'd told you once. Then your dad convinced me to try a lesson on this percheron paint mare named Gypsy at the barn where he kept Mara and she was so gentle and sweet."

Glimmer smiled as she tried to picture her strong confident mother being scared of horses and she couldn't help but stifle a laugh. "Well if you can get over your fear so can I."

/

An hour later they were on the way to the barn but not before Glimmer asked to stop and pick up coffee first. At first she ordered one just for herself but decided to order a second one for Adora. She didn't know if the blonde even liked coffee but she wanted to do something for her since she'd been so patient with her and she worked so hard at the barn. She ordered a second small coffee with cream and sugar on the side and handed over the money for the two drinks.

"Who's the second coffee for?" her mom asked, a telltale smile on her face as they pulled up to the next window.

"Adora. I thought I'd do something nice for her, it's no big deal."

Her mom's smile widened as she grabbed the two drinks from the employee at the other side of the window and passed them to Glimmer. "That's so sweet of you Glimmer. I'm sure she'll appreciate the gesture."

The rest of the ride went quickly and soon enough they were at the barn. Her mom left her with a parting kiss to the forehead as Glimmer grabbed the two beverages and got out, walking into the barn as she heard whinnying in the distance.

She stepped foot inside to an empty barn and she wandered down to the arena where she found Adora riding Swift Wind. The pink haired girl smiled as she set the two coffees down on the ledge, resting her arms there as she watched Adora cantering around. Swift Wind was fast but he moved beautifully. She watched as Adora brought him up to a tall jump, the blonde going into two point as the gelding's front legs left the ground.

The thoroughbred cleared the jump like it was nothing and Adora smiled at him, patting him on the neck as he sped up. Glimmer could only stand back and watch, in awe of how well they connected with one another and the way Swift Wind moved so perfectly under her.

Eventually after another jump Adora brought the ex race horse down to a sitting trot, letting him stretch his legs before she'd bring him down to a walk. At that point she finally noticed Glimmer standing outside the arena and she brought Swift Wind to a walk, waving at Glimmer as she smiled. "Hey, I didn't see you there! I hope you weren't waiting long."

Glimmer shook her head even though she knew she'd easily been watching for a solid fifteen minutes at least. "Nope, I just got here." she said, taking a long sip from her coffee as Adora halted the gelding and jumped off. "I don't know if you like coffee but I brought you a cup."

Adora's face flushed as she walked over to Glimmer, taking the cup from her hand as she smiled at it. "Thank you, that's so sweet of you. I really like coffee so this is amazing! You didn't have to get me anything."

"You're welcome, I was already getting one for myself and I thought I'd grab one for you too since you've been so patient with me."

Adora grinned as she led the buckskin out of the arena and down the aisle where the stalls were, hooking him up in the cross ties before taking a sip from the lukewarm coffee. "Well thank you, I really appreciate it. Now are you ready to get to work? I'll give you a lesson on Bailey today if you feel up to it."

Glimmer nodded as she grabbed the manure fork. "Just tell me how many stalls to muck out."

/

The morning passed by in a blur as Glimmer mucked out stalls and helped water and feed the horses. Before she knew it Adora was already walking in with Bailey and it was time for her to groom him and tack him up.

She smiled at the bay gelding as she brought his bucket of brushes over to him, pulling out the curry comb as she began gently running it across his coat. "Hey big boy." she said quietly, anxiety and excitement bubbling in her stomach as she brushed him down.

He stood perfectly still as she brushed him and picked his hooves and she felt a sense of calm wash over her as she stood next to the gentle giant. Eventually once she was almost done Adora came walking out carrying his saddle, bridle and girth in her arms, setting them down on the saddle rack as she brushed beads of sweat off her forehead.

"There that's most of his tack. You can go pick any saddle pad for him from the back room. I'll help you tack him up once you're back."

Glimmer wandered off to the back room where the tack was kept and spotted the box of saddle pads in the corner. Crouching down she began digging through the various saddle pads before pulling out a hot pink one. She put the lid back on and exited the room, making her way to where Bailey was still standing in the cross ties.

Glimmer put the saddle pad on his back and began trying to adjust it as Adora came over to help her. The blonde stifled a laugh as she took over for the other girl. "Hot pink? I don't know if pink is his colour." she laughed.

The pink haired teen rolled her eyes as she grabbed the saddle off the saddle rack. "Whatever, I think he looks pretty in pink."

Adora could only smile as she tried to hold back her laughter, grabbing the saddle from Glimmer's hands as she put it on the gelding's back. "Suit yourself."

/

It wasn't much longer until Bailey was all tacked up and Glimmer had her helmet and boots on and was ready to go. She led the gelding over to the arena and opened the gate, walking with him to the mounting block where she halted him.

She groaned as she stood on her tiptoes trying to get the reins over his head. "Ugh, you're too tall for this!" she complained, stretching as tall as she could as the gelding stared down at her.

"Need some help?"

Glimmer nodded at Adora who had just entered the arena and was walking over to her side. "Yes please, I am way too short and he is way too tall."

Adora chuckled as she lifted the reins over his head like it was nothing. "There you go! Now you can get on the mounting block and try and get on."

Glimmer gulped as she stepped onto the mounting block, trying to push her fear to the side as she grabbed onto the reins with one hand. She closed her eyes as she put her foot into the stirrup and with all her strength she pushed herself up and over, swinging her foot into the other stirrup as she settled into the saddle.

"Impressive! Good job!"

Glimmer's cheeks went red as she rubbed the back of her neck, praise wasn't something she was used to recieving a lot. She was used to being the outcast, just an average student who her teachers didn't view as particulary special in any way. Maybe that was why she felt good about being around Adora. She was so nice to her and kept trying to encourage her and praise her even for small victories and it made her feel good, really really good.

"Thank you. I thought I was going to fall for a split second." she said half jokingly, gathering up her reins in her hands as she forced herself back to reality.

"Don't worry, if you ever fall when you're starting to mount I'm here to catch you! Now cue him into a walk."

Glimmer took a deep breath and squeezed with her legs as Bailey began walking forward at a slow and steady pace.

"Good! Now make sure you go deep into those corners when you're turning and keep him walking in a straight line down the long side!"

Glimmer nodded as she found herself relaxing into the gelding's gentle movements. He had a bigger stride then the other lesson horses and everytime she glanced over at the ground it hit her just how high up she was and she'd start to panic but he was so calm and gentle and listened to her every cue and it made her feel safe. She felt like she'd been riding for hours, lost in a daze of peace and calmness when Adora proposed a suggestion to her.

"How are you feeling on him?"

"I'm feeling really comfortable on him, I really like him."

"Do you want to try and trot a little bit?"

Glimmer paused, her chest tightening as she looked down at the gelding. Walking around was one thing but stepping it up to a trot was a whole other thing. "I... I don't know. I don't want to fall and get hurt."

"You won't fall ok? Bailey is pretty lazy and the second you ask him to slow down he will. I won't force you to but if you want to try just let me know."

The pink haired girl mulled it over as she walked the bay horse around the arena, her mind going in circles before she eventually decided to throw caution to the wind and just do it. "I'll try it, but I don't want to trot for long."

A smile grew on Adora's face as she began giving instructions. "Awesome! Shorten up your reins a lot! Remember to keep your heels down! When you want him to trot squeeze him with your legs harder then you would when you want a faster walk. He's a bit lazy so keep squeezing until you get a trot."

Glimmer nodded as she shortened her reins and took a deep breath. She squeezed with her legs and she felt him speed up underneath her. She felt like she was bouncing around in the saddle but yet she hadn't fallen. She made it around five seconds before she pulled back on the reins and he slowed down to a walk.

Adora walked over to her as Glimmer halted Bailey and the blonde patted her on the back as she grinned at her. "Glimmer that was amazing for your first try! You're doing so well. I'm really proud of how far you've come in just under two weeks."

Glimmer blinked away the tears forming in her eyes as she patted Bailey on the neck and she smiled. "Thank you. I... I want to keep going."

Adora grinned as she stepped back into the center of the arena. "Then let's get back to our lesson!"


End file.
